A Glossary of Key HR Tech & Integration Terminology

In today’s fast-paced HR and recruiting landscape, leveraging technology is no longer optional—it’s essential for efficiency, accuracy, and competitive advantage. Understanding the core terminology of HR technology and system integration is crucial for professionals looking to optimize their processes, automate manual tasks, and make data-driven decisions. This glossary provides clear, authoritative definitions for the terms that are foundational to connecting HR systems, streamlining workflows, and embracing the power of automation and AI in talent acquisition and management.

Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

An ATS is a software application designed to manage the recruitment and hiring process, helping companies organize and track candidate applications, resumes, and communication. From initial application submission through to interview scheduling and offer management, an ATS centralizes all candidate data. For HR and recruiting professionals, an ATS is invaluable for automating repetitive tasks like resume parsing, screening, and communication, ensuring no qualified candidate falls through the cracks. Integrating an ATS with other HR systems, often via APIs or webhooks, can create a seamless candidate journey and significantly reduce time-to-hire by automating data flow to HRIS or onboarding platforms.

Human Resources Information System (HRIS)

An HRIS is a comprehensive system that integrates various HR functions, including payroll, benefits administration, time and attendance, employee data management, and sometimes even performance management. It serves as a central repository for all employee-related information, providing a single source of truth for the organization’s workforce data. For HR professionals, an HRIS automates compliance reporting, simplifies employee self-service, and reduces administrative burden. Seamless integration with recruiting systems (like an ATS) ensures that once a candidate is hired, their data automatically flows into the HRIS, eliminating manual data entry and potential errors.

Candidate Relationship Management (CRM)

While often associated with sales, in HR, a CRM system (or a talent CRM) is specifically designed to manage interactions and relationships with potential and past candidates. It helps recruiters build talent pipelines, nurture prospects over time, and engage with silver medalists for future openings. Unlike an ATS which focuses on active applicants for current roles, a recruiting CRM is strategic, allowing organizations to maintain long-term relationships and proactively source talent. Integrating a CRM with an ATS and marketing automation tools can personalize candidate communication and significantly improve the candidate experience, leading to stronger talent pools and faster placements.

REST API (Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface)

A REST API is a set of rules and standards that allows different software applications to communicate with each other over the internet. It defines a way for a client (e.g., your HR system) to request data or actions from a server (e.g., a payroll system) using standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE). In HR tech, REST APIs are fundamental for integrating disparate systems like an ATS with an HRIS, enabling automated data exchange for candidate profiles, offer letters, or employee records. This programmatic approach ensures real-time data synchronization and drastically reduces manual data entry and associated errors across the HR ecosystem.

OAuth (Open Authorization)

OAuth is an open standard for token-based authorization. It allows a user to grant a website or application access to their information on another website without giving them their password. Instead, a temporary “access token” is issued. In the context of HR tech, OAuth is frequently used to securely connect applications. For example, a third-party background check service might use OAuth to gain limited access to a candidate’s profile in an ATS, without the recruiter needing to share their ATS login credentials. This enhances security, simplifies user experience, and enables controlled access to sensitive HR data, critical for compliance and data protection.

Webhooks

Webhooks are user-defined HTTP callbacks or push APIs that allow one application to send real-time notifications or data to another application when a specific event occurs. Instead of continuously polling for updates, webhooks “push” information instantly. For HR automation, webhooks are incredibly powerful. For instance, when a candidate status changes to “Hired” in an ATS, a webhook can instantly trigger an action in an HRIS to create a new employee record or in an onboarding system to initiate the onboarding workflow. This event-driven communication ensures immediate data synchronization and eliminates delays inherent in manual processes or scheduled API calls.

Data Mapping

Data mapping is the process of creating a link between two distinct data models to show how elements in one system correspond to elements in another. Essentially, it defines which field in System A corresponds to which field in System B. For instance, mapping “Candidate Name” in an ATS to “Employee First Name” and “Employee Last Name” in an HRIS. This process is critical for any system integration, especially in HR, where data consistency is paramount. Accurate data mapping ensures that information flows correctly between different HR tools, preventing data loss, corruption, or misinterpretation, and is a foundational step in building reliable automation workflows.

Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS)

An iPaaS is a cloud-based platform that provides tools and services for developing, executing, and managing integration flows between disparate applications, data sources, and APIs. Platforms like Make.com and Zapier are examples of iPaaS solutions. They offer a visual interface, pre-built connectors, and robust logic capabilities to automate complex multi-step workflows without extensive coding. For HR and recruiting professionals, iPaaS simplifies the challenge of connecting an ATS, HRIS, payroll, and other tools, enabling them to build powerful automations that streamline candidate onboarding, data syncs, and reporting, significantly reducing manual effort and technical complexity.

API Endpoint

An API Endpoint is a specific URL that represents a particular resource or function within an API. It’s the point of interaction where an API communicates with another system. For example, an HRIS might have an endpoint `/api/v1/employees` to retrieve a list of all employees or `/api/v1/employees/{id}` to access a specific employee’s details. In HR automation, developers or low-code platforms interact with these endpoints to send requests (e.g., “add a new employee”) and receive responses (e.g., “employee added successfully”). Understanding endpoints is key to designing precise and efficient data exchanges between HR tech systems.

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)

JSON is a lightweight data-interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write and easy for machines to parse and generate. It is commonly used for transmitting data between a server and web application, serving as a primary data format for REST APIs and webhooks. In HR tech, when an ATS sends candidate data to an HRIS via an API, that data is often formatted as a JSON object, containing key-value pairs representing fields like “name,” “email,” “applicationDate,” etc. Its simplicity and widespread adoption make it a foundational element for integrating and automating HR systems effectively.

XML (Extensible Markup Language)

XML is a markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. While JSON has largely overtaken it for new API development due to its lighter syntax, XML is still prevalent in many legacy HR systems, particularly for batch data transfers or integrations with older enterprise software. Recruiters might encounter XML when importing or exporting large datasets of candidate profiles or job postings between systems. Understanding XML structures is still valuable for integrating with a broader range of HR technologies and ensuring smooth data migration during system upgrades or transitions.

Single Sign-On (SSO)

Single Sign-On (SSO) is an authentication scheme that allows a user to log in with a single ID and password to gain access to multiple related, yet independent, software systems. Instead of having separate login credentials for an ATS, HRIS, performance management system, and benefits portal, SSO consolidates authentication. This significantly improves the user experience for employees and HR professionals by reducing password fatigue and the time spent managing multiple logins. For IT security in HR, SSO also centralizes access control, making it easier to provision and de-provision user access, which is crucial for data security and compliance.

ETL (Extract, Transform, Load)

ETL is a three-step process used to integrate data from multiple sources into a data warehouse or another centralized repository. “Extract” involves pulling data from various source systems (like an ATS or HRIS). “Transform” cleanses, re-formats, and converts the data to fit the target system’s schema (e.g., standardizing date formats or merging fields). “Load” then inserts the transformed data into the destination. In HR, ETL is vital for building robust reporting and analytics capabilities, allowing organizations to combine data from all their HR tech tools for comprehensive insights into recruitment metrics, employee performance, and workforce trends. It’s the backbone for data-driven HR.

Middleware

Middleware refers to software that connects other software applications, providing a bridge between disparate systems. It often sits between operating systems and the applications they run, acting as a translator or broker for data exchange. While iPaaS solutions are a modern form of middleware, traditional middleware can include Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) platforms or custom-built connectors. In HR tech, middleware facilitates communication between an applicant tracking system and a payroll system, for example, enabling them to exchange data without needing direct, point-to-point integrations for every system, thereby creating a more flexible and scalable IT architecture.

Workflow Automation

Workflow automation is the design and implementation of rules-based logic to automatically execute a series of tasks or processes, eliminating the need for manual intervention. In HR and recruiting, this can range from simple tasks like automatically sending a confirmation email to an applicant upon submission to complex multi-stage processes such as full candidate onboarding, including background checks, document signing, and HRIS updates. Leveraging tools like iPaaS, HR professionals can design and deploy these automations, drastically reducing administrative burden, improving process consistency, minimizing human error, and freeing up valuable time for more strategic initiatives.

If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: Make.com vs. Zapier: The Automated Recruiter’s Blueprint for AI-Powered HR